1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cookware items and particularly a container such as a pot, saucepan, skillet, frying pan or griddle which provides a support upon which a cooking utensil may be rested during use. More particularly, a specially arranged handle member also serves as the cooking utensil support.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are any number of cookware sets known at the present time which feature pots, pans, saucepans, skillets and frying pans, griddles, and the like. These cookware pieces will be referred to as “cookware items” or “cookware containers” in the discussion which follows. They are typically sold as complete matching sets. Similarly, kitchen utensils such as ladles, spoons, spatulas, and forks are often sold in sets. However, there is typically no element of the cookware item design which specifically envisions the necessary working relationship with commonly used cooking utensils of this type. Yet, in the preparation and cooking of various foods, often both items of cookware and kitchen utensils are used in conjunction with one another. For example, a cook preparing foods on a stove top generally uses a pot and a spoon or ladle simultaneously. Whereas, in frying foods, a cook will often simultaneously use a frying pan or griddle and a spatula.
This disconnect between the cookware design and the requirement of using various utensils during cooking presents certain problems and inconveniences. The utensil will, of necessity, tend to collect residue from various food products. This, in turn, creates an inherent problem regarding the storage of the utensil when the utensil is still being used for the preparation of the food. For example, using a given kitchen utensil in preparing food and then placing the utensil on a counter top may cause the countertop to become unsanitary or become soiled with food or grease from the utensil. Many times, the user leaves the utensil on the stovetop, leaving behind food residue which later needs to be cleaned. In other situations, the utensils may be left balanced on the top lip of the cooking pot or pan with the food as it is being prepared, or inserted within the food being cooked in the container. Either of these situations present additional concerns because the utensil may be tipped into or even knocked out of the container, causing the utensil's contents to spill. If a hot spoon or the like is dropped, this presents both a potentially dangerous and messy situation. Also, in some situations, an appreciable amount of time can be spent searching for the kitchen utensil each time the kitchen utensil is to be repetitively used.
The present invention provides a solution to the current existing problems associated with the use of a cooking utensil during the process of food preparation, as described above.